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DUI Information

Florida DUI Information

DUI is an offense under Florida law. The offense is proved by impairment of "normal faculties" or unlawful blood alcohol or breath alcohol level of .08 or above. The following information applies to those with their first conviction.

Fines: If this is your first conviction, your fine will be between $500-$2,000. If your blood alcohol level is .15 or higher, or you have a minor in the vehicle, the fine will be between $2,000–$4,000.

Community Service: If this is your first conviction, you will need to serve a mandatory 50 hrs of community service or an additional fine of $10 for each hour of required community service.

Probation: For first convictions, the total period of probation and incarceration will not be greater than 1 year.

Imprisonment: Imprisonment is at the court's discretion. Sentencing terms may be served at a residential alcoholism or drug abuse treatment program, credited toward the term of imprisonment. For the first conviction, you will receive not more than 6 months. If your blood alcohol level is .15 or higher or there was a minor in the vehicle, you will receive not more than 9 months.

1st DUI (Driving under the influence) Conviction and License Reinstatement

If you are looking to reinstate your license and this is your first DUI Conviction, and you have 180 to 1 year revocation effective from the conviction date, you can apply for a hardship license in your county before the expiration of this revocation period,

DUI school completion and treatment may be referred and is required. After completion, you can apply for a hardship license in the Administrative reviews office where you live. Please click here to find your local administrative office: http://www.flhsmv.gov/offices/

If you wait to reinstate your license until your revocation period ends, you may need to have proof of enrollment or completion of a DUI school and treatment. If you fail to complete this course within 90 days after reinstatement, it will result in cancellation of your driver's license until the course is completed. Again, failure to complete treatment may result in cancellation of your driver's license.

At the time of reinstatement for hardship or full license privileges, you must take a required examination and pay $115 as an administrative fee, along with a $60 reinstatement fee. Any DUI conviction after October 1, 2007 must have proof of bodily injury liability insurance in the amount of $100,000 per person, $300,000 per occurrence and $50,000 for property damage liability on the arrest date or proof of liability coverage and a reinstatement fee of $150 up to $500 for subsequent violations will be required.

There are DUI/DWI attorneys that specialize in serious traffic offense cases such as drunk driving. There may be several reasons you want to hire an attorney. First, you may want to hire an attorney if you feel you were wrongfully charged, or if the charges go beyond a DUI as a result of any accident or reckless endangerment.

Besides consultation on your options, another reason you may want to hire a lawyer is because you have only 10 days from the date of arrest to apply for a hardship license and work permit. This is important if you can avoid adversely affecting your job/income as a result of having a suspended license and also having to take time away from work. At this court hearing you can contest the license suspension.

However, if you do not request a court hearing within 10 days from the date you were arrested, your license can be suspended for 6-18 months.

It is important to remember that in the State of Florida, a conviction of a DUI will remain on your record for 75 years. The National Highway and Safety Administration’s annual Traffic Safety Fact stated that 1 out of every 135 people will be arrested for driving under the influence each year. Regardless of hiring an attorney; the end result is to not drink and drive.

For more information on Florida Laws and Procedures, as well as County Courts and Legal Searches and Services, click here.